Vehicle seats of conventional design generally include a seat base and a seat back. The seat base and seat back each have a frame, a foam bun, and a seat cover that maybe made of vinyl, leather or cloth. Portions of the seat buns that may or may not be covered by the seat cover material may be covered by a protective cloth. The protective cloth may cover and protect portions of the foam bun that are not covered by the seat cover material. The protective cloth is normally trimmed or sized to conform to selected portions of the foam bun.
Some vehicle seats include steel suspensions that may be formed as part of the frame or may be assembled to the foam bun. Resilient, durable mesh suspension nets may also be provided as part of the vehicle seat structures that are used to support the foam buns. Suspensions are used to support the bottom of a seat base to provide comfort for the seat occupant and support for the foam bun.
One problem with vehicle seats is that the foam may shift or otherwise be forced through the interface between the seat cover and cover pieces. Cover pieces are plastic molded parts that are attached to the sides of seats to conceal seat hardware and also may be used to support seat control switches and actuators. The foam bun may have portions that may be forced between the seat cover, cover pieces and the frame of the vehicle seat. Any portions of the foam bun that is visible on a vehicle seat is objectionable. In addition, foam that works into the interface area of the suspension and frame may cause undesirable noises and should be avoided.
The above shortcomings and problems associated with some vehicle seat structures are addressed by applicant's invention as summarized below.